Supernatural: About a Boy– The One Where We Figured Out How to Fix Dean.

I feel like I have done nothing but praise this season, but it deserves it. Season 7 had some issues and with the exception of Kevin Tran Season 8 was sketchy. So I was happy when Season 9 looked to be turning it around, but remained slightly skeptical. Had this show gone on too long? Had they killed all the bad guys and needed to call it quits? OK don’t leave me on that statement. I love this show– maybe a little too much, but shows deserve to have an ending to work towards. I would rather a show end earlier than I’d like and end well than drag out and become a farce (ahem– Charmed and Suits I’m looking at you). As much as I didn’t want this show to end I hated that the show seemed to be losing it’s way.

Well Season 10 has been everything I could have hoped. Are there still storylines that I don’t like? Yes, but there are so many more things that I love so I can overlook the fact that Metatron hasn’t had his spine ripped out yet.

So back to this week’s episode– when I saw the preview I was slightly skeptical of how they would work out Dean being a teenager again, but Dylan Everett delivered the goods once again. I spoke my praises of him before and I stand by those. Dylan IS a young Dean. Yeah he looks like Jensen, but that’s not all he becomes Dean.

In this episode we see big boy Dean struggling with the Mark and what he did to Charlie. He’s obsessed (as he likes to be) and is trying to find a way to remove the Mark. It’s obviously not going well and Sam finds a case to help distract him. Can I say once again how glad I am that the boys are working together again and not hiding things or angry with each other? Cause it’s awesome to see them bicker and fight like brothers instead of really tearing each other apart.

As someone with 4 brothers this is real life. Nothing is ever forgotten– especially if it’s embarrassing.

Dean reluctantly agrees to work the case– and begins to pick up a chick of course (a woman that obviously doesn’t belong in that dive bar. I’ve been in bars like that (for research purposes of course) and women that hang out in bars like that during the day have a more rode hard and put up wet look). Thinking he was washing out in the bar he is about to leave when he realizes said girl is about to get abducted herself and of course tries to save her. Yeah that doesn’t turn out so well.

Turns out the bad guys aren’t killing the people they take (right away), but turning them into little kids and locking them up in a scary basement. Enter Dylan Everett.

After some witty remarks between little Dean and Tina we switch back to Sam’s search for Dean. Here’s probably my favorite moment of this episode. We get a glimpse at Scary Sam that I’ve kinda missed here lately. Sam struggled with the darkness inside of himself for so long and has finally gotten it so under control that it’s easy to forget that he was once a demon blood drinking psycho. But here’s my boy:

Sam, who is an ask questions first kill later, kinda guy doesn’t waste time with this guy and goes straight to the knocking skulls mode. I love Scary Sam (when it comes to protecting family).

Of course Dean escapes and finds Sam and hilarity ensues. As well as some dramatic tension of course.

Which is all hilarious, but we did learn this one super important thing:

OK so the problem’s fixed! The Mark is gone. Obviously even though Dylan is doing an amazing job as Dean they aren’t going to replace Jensen so we know this fix isn’t going to last, but just remember this huge plot development for later.

Next they arrive at the scary witch’s house and this happens:

OK sorry that has nothing to do with major plot development, but come on that’s funny. And totally what guys would say to each other no matter how serious the situation.

They corner the creepy dude that is nabbing the people and he plays the “the witch is controlling me card” and the guys think he’s on their side. So of course after they find out how to get Dean back to his real age they go in guns blazing to save Tina and kill the witch. Which goes well.

The witch, who is played by Lesley Nicol (Downton Abbey), turns out to be Gretel (as in Hansel and Gretel and as in the sister of creepy dude that they thought was on their side) and plans to eat them all. During her bad guy tirade she lets it drop that she’s in America to take care of Rowena for the Grand Coven. Dean’s knowledge of Rowena throws her off her game which gives the boys the opening that they were looking for.

Sam attacks Hansel and then moves on to the witch while Dean tussles with Hansel. During the fight Dean manages to grab the hex bag that was around Hansel’s neck (which turned him young) and turns himself back into an adult. Then, as you do, he shoved the bag into Gretel’s mouth and shoved her in the fire to burn alive. Yay, the guys have saved the day, saved the girl (who looks forward to being able to get a do over on life) and sends her on her way with some cash.

But wait lets go back to that Grand Coven thing.

So we know now that the Grand Coven wants Rowena, we know where to find Rowena and we know that there is a witchy fix for Dean’s problem. Throwing Dean back into his 14 year old body got rid of the Mark so if Dean can just got back to his body from right before he got the Mark then he will still (mostly) be the same age and be Mark free. Done! No trials, no need to ever see Metatron again and minimal working with the bad guys to fix this.

So now they just need to find the Grand Coven and make a deal. Yeah that’s fraught with issues of it’s own, but I’d rather work with witches than demons or angels at this point. They’ve made a couple witch friends so they might can even skirt the Grand Coven, but they probably won’t go that route. Now I’m just wondering how long before they put all this together on the show (hopefully just next week).

I love how optimistic Dean is and I love how much Sam just wanted his big brother back.

Of course I can’t write all of this without mentioning the thing that Dean admitted to that is a dirty little secret in so many of our own lives. That dirty, filthy secret is: it’s hard to not jam out to some Taylor Swift these days.